Virat Kohli says the objective is to play consistent cricket and becoming Number One ranking is an added incentive

If one were to describe India’s performance so far in this series versus New Zealand- it would be clinical. Virat Kohli and his men dominated proceedings in both Kanpur and Kolkata for large parts and as a result came out triumphant in both games.

The win at the Eden Gardens holds an extra significance for the hosts as it helped them regain the Number One ranking in the world from Pakistan.

One would have thought that the achievement would have meant a lot for Kohli since he has achieved it with a fairly young squad, but the 27-year-old said that the ultimate objective was to win matches and in that pursuit if one became the top-ranked side, then that was an added incentive.

"Our objective is to keep playing consistent cricket, having rankings and getting to number one and dropping it is not in our hands, but with this long season, it's in our control in my opinion,

“We believe in ourselves to execute our plan our objective is to win game anywhere and we have shown that. Rankings are just an incentive for something you do in the field. we want to win every game - as simple as that," Kohli said in the post-match press conference.

It was a combined team effort from India, with contributions from almost every player. Speaking about the positives from the Test, Kohli pointed out Ravindra Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha as the players who stood out.

“Batting contribution of Jadeja, Umesh (in the first game) and Saha (both innings in this game). these two are batting in positions that are very important for the team and they understand that. the keeper coming good is obviously a good bonus,” the right-hander said.

Even though India won by 178 runs, Kohli admitted that the victory did not come as easily as one thought and added the more this team plays such hard-fought games, the better they will get.

“This was a test match which had to be fought out. the more we learn to play matches like this, the more we are able to win test matches,” he said.

Kohli was not just active in his field placements but was also very excited when it came to energising the crowd to get behind their team. Speaking about the support at the venue on Monday afternoon, he said that they helped the Indians pick up a few wickets late in the day with their constant support.

"More than anything, the crowd helped us pick up those wickets today. Especially someone like Shami, running in, it makes a big difference to a bowler's mindset,” he said.

The third Test of the series starts on Saturday at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, which will be hosting a five-day game for the first time.